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Prahlada Maharaja, being very exalted devotee, he could appease the Lord. Bhaktya, by bhakti, you can control the Supreme Lord. That is the only way

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"Prahlada Maharaja, being very exalted devotee, he could appease the Lord. Bhaktya, by bhakti, you can control the Supreme Lord. That is the only way"

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Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Prahlāda preṣayām āsa brahma avasthita antike. So Prahlāda Mahārāja, being very exalted devotee, he could appease the Lord. Bhaktyā, by bhakti, you can control the Supreme Lord. That is the only way. Bhaktyā maṁ abhijānāti. The understanding is also through bhakti, and through bhakti you can control God. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabha ātmā-bhaktau. You cannot understand God by studying Vedas. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabha ātmā-bhaktau. But for His devotees, He is very, very easily available. Therefore bhakti is the only source.


Lecture on SB 7.9.3 -- Mayapur, February 17, 1977:

Prabhupāda: So Brahmā, Lord Brahmā, he is supposed to be the first living being within this universe. Lakṣmī became afraid; Brahmā also became very afraid. Therefore Brahmā requested Prahlāda Mahārāja that "You go forward, my dear son, and appease the Lord. You can do because for you He has appeared in this fierceful feature. Your father offended Him in so many ways by teasing you, by punishing you, by putting you into difficulty. Therefore He has appeared in very angry. So you can appease Him. We cannot. It is not possible." Prahlāda preṣayām āsa brahma avasthita antike (SB 7.9.3). So Prahlāda Mahārāja, being very exalted devotee, he could appease the Lord. Bhaktyā, by bhakti, you can control the Supreme Lord. That is the only way. Bhaktyā maṁ abhijānāti (BG 18.55). The understanding is also through bhakti, and through bhakti you can control God. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabha ātmā-bhaktau (BS 5.33). You cannot understand God by studying Vedas. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabha ātmā-bhaktau. But for His devotees, He is very, very easily available. Therefore bhakti is the only source. Bhaktyām ekayā grāhyam. Only through bhakti you can approach, you can talk with God on equal level just like friend. The cowherd boys, they were treating Kṛṣṇa on the same status: "Kṛṣṇa is like us." But they loved Kṛṣṇa very, very intensely. That is their qualification. Therefore Kṛṣṇa sometimes agreed to take the cowherd boys on His shoulder. So this is the... Kṛṣṇa wants that, that "My bhakta... Be My bhakta and control Me. Everyone worships Me with awe and veneration. I want somebody should come forward and control Me." That He wants. Therefore He has accepted Mother Yaśodā to control Him. How God can be controlled? Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). He's the supreme controller. Who can control Him? It is not possible. But He agrees to be controlled by His pure devotee. He agrees, "Yes, mother, you control Me. You bind Me. You show Me your stick so that I may be afraid."

So everything is there. Don't think that God is zero, no, śūnyavādi. He is everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Athāto brahma jijñāsā. You are inquiring about Brahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So there must be anger, not that God should be always peaceful. But the difference is His anger and His peaceful attitude produces the same result. Prahlāda Mahārāja, a devotee... He is very satisfied with Prahlāda Mahārāja, and He is very much dissatisfied with his father, but result is the same: both of them got liberation. Although a devotee becomes associate, whereas the demon who is killed by God, he does not become an associate—he is not qualified—but he enters into the spiritual kingdom. He gets liberation from this material bondage. So why a devotee should take the same position? Therefore, māṁ eti. Tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram (BG 18.55). They viśate, enters, enters in the spiritual kingdom. Everyone who is liberated, he is entered.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate...
(BG 18.54)

But those who are devotees, they are allowed to enter into the planet, Vaikuṇṭha planet or Goloka Vṛndāvana planet. In this way one gets his original position. But if we do not take to bhakti, then we may enter into the Brahman effulgence, but there is chance of falling down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yusmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). So those who are impersonalist, they may enter into the spiritual kingdom. That is called paraṁ padaṁ. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām (SB 10.14.58). But there is also chance of falldown. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa. After severe austerities and penances one can enter into the Brahman effulgence. But unless one gets information of the paraṁ padaṁ—samāśritā ye pada pallava plavam (SB 10.14.58) —there is chance of falling down. In the material world there is bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

But in spiritual also, if you enter into the spiritual kingdom, from there also, even sometimes it so happens. Of course, that is by God's desire. Just like Jaya-Vijaya. They were personal associates. But the explanation is Kṛṣṇa wanted that "They should go..., the Hiraṇyakaśipu..., these two, Jaya-Vijaya, they should go to the material world, and I must fight with them." Because that fighting, to become angry, that tendency is there. Where He will exhibit? In the Vaikuṇṭha there is no chance of exhibiting this anger and fighting. That is not possible. Therefore He induces His devotee to "Go to the material world and become My enemy, and I shall fight. I shall become angry," because in the Vaikuṇṭha, spiritual kingdom, there is no chance. Everyone is serving; everyone is friendly. Some relation... Where is the question of fighting? But fighting spirit is there; anger is there. Where He shall exhibit? And therefore Kṛṣṇa incarnates, He becomes angry, and a devotee becomes enemy, and this is Kṛṣṇa-līlā, nitya-līlā. It is going on.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! Haribol!